By MAUREEN KAKAH

In Summary

Al Yusra claims the bishops explained the basis of their actions that they could not accept a business owned and operated by Somali Muslims on its property.

The restaurant argues that the reason given is discriminatory.

Al Yusra wants the bishops be stopped from interfering, trespassing, evicting them by blocking their rights to possess a business premise as well as access to it besides the compensation.

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A Nairobi restaurant is seeking more than Sh88 million as compensation from Catholic bishops for stopping a six-year business deal to rent space at Waumini House in Westlands, Nairobi.

Al Yusra Restaurant Limited wants the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops and Knight Frank Kenya Limited to pay Sh88,472,782.22 for ejecting them from its business premises.

Al Yusra says their premises were locked and their access to the ground floor of the building was denied.

The building, which is the headquarters of the Kenya Catholic Bishops Secretariat, is owned and managed by the Catholic Church in Kenya.

The restaurant claims the bishops explained, as the basis of their actions, that they could not accept a business owned and operated by Somali Muslims on its property.

Al Yusra argues that the reason given is discriminatory.

CONSTITUTION 'VIOLATED'

Besides the compensation, the restaurant also wants the bishops to be stopped from interfering with their business, trespassing and evicting them by blocking their rights to possess a business premise as well as access to it.

“This is a great violation of the Constitution by the Catholic Bishops, who should be at the forefront of preaching unity and religious tolerance, which calls for urgent intervention by this court, we have been locked out on the basis that the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops cannot accept to have a business owned and operated by Somali Muslims on its property, despite a lease signed and rent paid,” said Mr Rahma Jillo for Al Yusra.

According to Mr Baakai Maalim Kulmia, the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops — through two of their agents, one of whom was Knight Frank — offered Al Yusra 2,153 square feet of space for a term of six years starting on December 1, 2013, and rent was to be paid as from February 1.